This invention relates to a water purification system and more particularly to such a system that is incorporated into the underside of a kitchen sink, for renovation or new home construction.
Prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,844, granted Jul. 26, 1988, in the names of Mitchell Lipshultz and Alfred J. Lipshultz (the present inventors) discloses a water purification system that is small, portable, suitable for use in a house and does not use an external source of power. Furthermore, it is small enough to be placed on a countertop in a private home.
More particularly, the water purification system of the '844 patent operates under conventional water main pressure on a countertop and comprises an upper reservoir for purified water and a lower process compartment, a reverse osmosis unit, an ion exchange unit, and an activated carbon filter. The reverse osmosis unit, the ion exchange unit and the activated carbon filter are in the form of replaceable cartridges in the process compartment. Each of the reservoir, the reverse osmosis unit, the ion exchange unit and the activated carbon filter has an inlet and an outlet, and the system also comprises water communication means connected between the water supply and the inlet of the reverse osmosis unit, and between the outlet of the reverse osmosis unit and the inlet of the ion exchange unit, and between the outlet of the ion exchange unit and the inlet of the activated carbon filter, and between the outlet of the activated carbon filter and the inlet of the reservoir. The reservoir has a tap and an overflow port and the reverse osmosis unit has an additional outlet for disposal of waste brine.
The water purification system of the '844 patent successfully achieves the above mentioned objects thereof, but, as stated, that prior system is placeable on a countertop in a private home.
The present invention gets the system of the '844 patent off of the countertop and under a sink, thus freeing the countertop for other uses and removing clutter therefrom. The system is positioned in a space that otherwise would not be used, whereas according to the prior art valuable counter space or under-counter floor storage space had to be occupied.
The manner in which the invention attains the aforesaid objects and advantages, among others will appear hereinafter.